


From Darkness to Light

by NightmareRush



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Can be read as Puzzleshipping, Gen, Sad with a Happy Ending, Season 0 mentioned, Yugi and Yami have a brotherly relationship, sort of, you will cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 21:43:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11239839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareRush/pseuds/NightmareRush
Summary: The night Yugi completed the Millennium Puzzle he knew something had changed. People started dropping like flies around him. Then he met him, the one doing all of this. The spirit of the puzzle, the Pharaoh, Yami. They made an agreement, one Yami vowed never to brake. Then the Orichalcos tampered with his mind.





	From Darkness to Light

The night Yugi completed the Millennium Puzzle he knew something had changed. Ushio had gone into a coma and was found just inside the school’s front gate unresponsive. Yugi couldn’t remember what had all gone on that night but a sinking feeling told him it had something to do with him. Then it kept happening. Other students, teachers, other people, they were suffering hallucinations, falling ill, dying. It had something to do with him and his blackouts, he knew. The Other Yugi, the darkness… he was doing it to those people. He wanted it to stop, for no one else to get hurt, but it just kept happening.

 

Then he met him… The one doing it. Yami, the vengeful spirit of the puzzle, the pharaoh. Yugi was afraid of him, he didn’t like this restless soul. He hurt people, killed people, he didn’t care about others. He’d take over Yugi’s body and mind to enact his wrath then slip back inside the puzzle and wait for his next victim. Yugi wanted no part of it, so he sat at his desk back home, ready to take the puzzle apart and hide it away forever. However when he touched it his soul was forcibly dragged inside. He appeared in a cold dark room, a tomb. Was this that guy’s soul room? No… just another false room in the pharaoh’s puzzle. Yugi looked around. At the farthest wall sat a throne, and in it, the spirit.

 

“I’ve upset you,” he spoke calmly, an acknowledgement more than anything else.

 

“You hurt people. You’re willing to do anything, you were willing to kill. You have killed. How can I trust you if you keep using your shadow magic to hurt people,” You told him.

 

It was slight but the pharaoh’s expression changed a little. As cold and stoic as he may be, there wasn’t much he could hide when both of them were inside the puzzle.

 

“I see… You want me to stop exacting judgment on people,” Yami hummed.

 

“Yes. No more punishments. No more curses,” Yugi ordered, “No more penalty games,”

 

“Very well. I shall honor your request. You have my word,” the spirit said, “No more penalty games,”

 

“Really?” Yugi never expected it to be so easy to sway the spirit of a past king.

 

Yami stood from the throne and stood before Yugi, “Yes. My only wish was to aid and protect you, but I now see that in my efforts I have caused you distress. It was a lapse of judgment on my part. It won’t happen again,”

 

Yugi could hear the unspoken “I’m sorry” loud and clear. As a pharaoh, Yami wasn’t one to openly apologize, for anything, but Yugi knew that’s what the spirit was trying to do. And the thing was, he forgave him. His other self was just trying to be nice by stopping people from harming Yugi, the only way the ancient pharaoh knew how. It’s not his fault he didn’t know that the way people dealt with cruelty has changed in the last five thousand years. He’s been trapped in the Millennium Puzzle all that time.

 

So Yugi forgave him and they grew a bit closer because of it. Yami started appearing outside the puzzle in spirit form. It was startling at first, a bit tense and awkward, but they soon grew accustomed to each other. He learned a lot about his other self through their talks. For example he loves games just as much as Yugi did and was a very quick learner. He picked up on chess like it was nothing, and he wasn’t even all that fazed when Yugi showed him what videogames were. Turns out the pharaoh was competitive too. They’d take turns on games to see who could get the highest score. The pharaoh always won but Yugi didn’t mind. It’ll just make him winning a game against his other half all the more satisfying.

 

Eventually the pharaoh was spending entire days outside the puzzle, following Yugi as a transparent spirit. They’d hold conversations, even if people gave Yugi weird looks for seemingly talking to himself. This could sometimes lead to some humorous situations when Yugi looks back on them, like the day of that math test.

 

Yugi had spent the majority of the night before cramming, but to no avail. He wasn’t faring any better on this math test than any other before. He was going to fail. Again. Just great.

 

“Seven,” he hear the pharaoh’s voice in his head.

 

Yugi’s head shot up and he looked up at Yami, “Other me? What are you doing out here? You usually spend school days in your soul room,” Yugi asked through their bond, not daring to speak in fear of being reprimanded.

 

“I got bored and you seemed distressed,” Pharaoh said it like it was obvious, “At any rate, the answer is seven,”

 

Yugi looked back down at his paper, trying not to look too distracted, “You’re good at math? I guess that makes since. Ancient Egyptian architecture is known for being mathematically engenius. Though, I thought you would have had people for that. Being king and all,”

 

“Must have just been a subject that interested me. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to tell you but it sounds right,” Yami hummed thoughtfully.

 

“Well, you can’t help me. That’ll be cheating,” Yugi told him and turned back to his work.

 

“If you say so…” there was a moment of silence as Yugi continued to try and work on the problem, “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”

 

Yugi gritted his teeth, “Well if you’re so smart why don’t you do it, Spirit,”

 

Yami suddenly found himself in a desk, pencil in hand, blinking dumbly at the feeling of suddenly being able to, well, feel. The sudden switch made the pharaoh jump causing him, or Yugi as he was referred to here, to fall out of his chair.

 

“Mr. Mutou, if you can’t sit to take this test perhaps you’d like to take it standing up,” the teacher scolded and other kids snickered.

 

In the back of the class Tea shook her head. Those two were idiots, honestly. Did they really have to be playing practical jokes on one another in the middle of class?

 

Yami got up and rubbed the black of his head sheepishly, “My apologies,”

 

He got back into his seat and glared up at Yugi’s spirit, who was holding in a snicker from behind his hands, “I may have once been pharaoh Yugi, but I’m not above petty payback,”

 

Yugi just smiled innocently and Yami shook his head. Sometimes it was hard to remember how young his vessel truly was. Still so young and with a long and hard road ahead of him, ahead of them both. The pharaoh will give him a pass this time around. Pulling pranks was just a part of being a kid, so he’d let him play that role. It wasn’t a role he could play forever, not with what the future had in store for them.

 

\---

 

Yugi was worried about his other self. The pharaoh just hasn’t been acting the same since that whole ordeal with the Orichalcos. He’s been more distant, more closed off. He didn’t know what to do. Yugi was at a total loss. He knew the pharaoh felt horrible for what he did, he could feel the pain radiating from the puzzle. He wanted his other self to be happy again.

 

“Hey dear, are you alright? You haven’t even touched your dinner,” his mom asked from across the table.

 

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Yugi smiled then stopped, and thought a moment.

 

The puzzle was up in his room right now. Yami couldn’t hear him.

 

“Actually mom, could I ask you something?”

 

“Umm, sure. What’s up?” she asked.

 

“Well… you see, I have this friend and, well… He’s been a bit distant lately. See, something happened that was out of his control. He wasn’t himself and something really bad happened and I took the fall for him. Everything turned out fine in the end, and I’ve forgiven him, but he still feels guilty. The whole thing has really shaken him. I don’t know how to show him that everything is okay now,”

 

“Hmm…” his mother looked thoughtfully for a moment, “Have you tried talking to him?”

 

“How can I when he’s been avoiding me? And even if I did get to cornering him into talking to me, I’m not very good at these sorts of things. We know each other like the back of our hands, but that’s just the problem. If it were anyone like Joey or Tristen this would be easier but our bond is closer than that. He likes to appear all stoic and strong and confident, and he is, but he’s also extremely socially awkward and can be pretty defencive and fragile about some things. I just don’t want this to be one of them. He has enough to worry about as it is. I can’t let this distract him,”

 

His mom smiled, “You really do care about this person don’t you? Is he that Egyptian “friend” you’re always talking about? The mystery coach that taught you how to play Duel Monsters so well?”

 

“Umm… Maybe…” Yugi blushed at bit. Did he really talk about Yami that much?

 

“Well, if it were me I’d try to get him into a familiar situation. Something that will get him comfortable and less on edge. You can try getting him to play a game with you. From the way you talk about him, he’s more into them than you are,” she chuckled with a smile.

 

“Get him to play a game… I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that! Thanks, mom!” Yugi got up and ran upstairs.

 

“Wait! Yugi, where are you going?”

 

“To fix things!” he said as he disappeared up the stairs.

 

The woman just sighed, “That boy, I swear. First talking to himself and now this. I’m starting to worry about him,”

 

Yugi sat on his bed, Millenium Puzzle in hand. He stared down at the ancient artifact. He and Yami used to spent every moment together but after Yugi lost his soul to the Orichalcos Yami’s been acting off. He’s gone back into his shell and it’s high time Yugi broke him out of it again. By force if he had to.

 

“Ready or not pharaoh, here I come,” Yugi closed his eyes.

 

When he opened them again he was in his soul room. He grabbed the chess board from the ground and made his way to the hallway that separated him soul room from the pharaoh’s. As always the door was closed but never locked. Yugi was always welcomed here and finding his other self’s true soul room was a game in it of itself to him. The traps were dangerous but Yugi knew his way around them, Yami had taught him the secret on how to avoid them.

 

He started running through the maze, down pathways and up stairs, he soon made his way further along than he’s ever been. He made it to the last door. One he’s never seen before. It was made of gold and had the same eye symbol as the Millennium Puzzle. This had to be it. The pharaoh’s room. Should he knock?

 

He shook his head. The pharaoh wouldn’t mind. The ancient spirit has never been angry with him before and the two of them were friends enough that it shouldn’t be much of a problem. There wasn’t much along the lines of privacy between them. They shared the same body after all.

 

He put his hand on the door but then paused. How much did he know about the pharaoh? They didn’t know much about his past, just that he was a king and that he was involved with the shadow games, that he was imprisoned in the Millennium Puzzle and, for a brief moment, turned evil. Well, no. That wasn’t quite right. He never attacked random people just because, only people that were a physical or psychological threat to Yugi and he never acted until fists started flying or when Yugi was in over his head. He still Mind Crushed people but the effects were weaker now. He held back, mostly, until the full extent of his power was needed. He played by Yugi’s rules, rules he vowed never to brake, until the Orichalcos tampered with his mind.

 

No. He mustn't let that affect them. That’s what Yami was afraid of. He knew Yami. Yami was kind and brave and stood up for the little guy. He believed in justice and never gave up when things looked bad. He always knew how to get out of a tough situation, even when all odds were against them. He was much more than a friend to Yugi. They were partners, to the end. Yami said once that he wanted to spend forever with Yugi and Yugi would be hard pressed to say he didn’t want the same.

 

He opened the door with no more hesitation. Inside the room was much like the rest of the maze. Old stone walls of an Egyptian tomb, hieroglyphics depicting stories and tales that Yugi himself had no hope of translating but the pharaoh could read clearly. The decor was that of a bedroom, or at least appeared that way. There was a torch in each corner of the room to provide light. The only thing in the room was a large bed, fit for a king Yugi jokingly noticed, and a small wooden desk. Pretty bare if you asked him, but with how little they knew of his past it was understandable.

 

Yami was sat at the foot of the bed, deep in thought, but his head shot up when Yugi entered the room, “Yugi?!”

 

“Surprise!” Yugi smiled, “Looks like I beat this puzzle. So this is what your real room looks like,”

 

“Yes, well, I’m afraid it’s not much to look at,”

 

“I think it suits you,” Yugi walked up and sat next to him, holding up the chessboard, “Wanna play? It’s been awhile since we’ve sat down and went head to head,”

 

Yami looked down at the chessboard and smiled a bit, “Alright. If that’s what you want,”

 

Yugi smiled and they began setting up the board, Yami taking the black pieces and Yugi the white. If Yugi was going to get the spirit talking, this was how to do it.

 

“You know, I’ve been thinking, you’ve been acting strangely since my soul was reclaimed from the Orichalcos,” Yugi moved a pawn, “Our friends say that you were a broken shell during our time apart,”

 

“Your loss was… difficult to swallow,” Yami moved a pawn as well, “My only thought was getting you back, safe and unharmed,”

 

“I know the feeling. When the puzzle was shattered by Bandit Keith I could feel our bond brake and your soul being ripped out of me. I was hopeless and so desperate to get you back I risked my life in that fire to reassemble a puzzle that took me eight years to complete to start with,”

 

“I was desperate too,” Yami admitted, “I could not help you. I was trapped. At the time, it was the lowest I’ve ever felt,”

 

“Yami…” Yugi frowned but than smiled, “I’m sorry you felt that way. But, hey. We’re back in one piece now. Whatever happens next the two of us can face it, and win,”

 

“I’m not so sure if that’s a good idea, Yugi,” Yami admitted after a long silence, causing Yugi to gaze at him questioningly. 

 

“What do you mean?” the younger asked.

 

Yami sighed, “Yugi… What do we know about me? What do we really, truly know about my past?”

 

Yugi tilted his head, unsure of why his dear friend was asking or where he was going with this train of thought.

 

“Well,” Yugi thought for a moment, “We know you’re from Egypt, that you were a powerful Pharaoh, and that you saved the world once,”

 

“Yes, but what else?” Yami egged on.

 

“Well… Umm… That’s it, really. That’s all we know about your past,”

 

“Not true,” Yami clarified, “We know that my soul was sealed within the Millennium Puzzle, which was then shattered and hidden away. That’s what we know. That I was sealed within a puzzle designed to be an inescapable prison. We never bothered asking why,”

 

“Yami…” Yugi’s gaze saddened, “What are you- Why-”

 

“I got to thinking, after Raifiel. About what he said. We don’t know what I was like back then. What if I was evil? I proved myself capable before all of this, I’ve shown just how far I’m willing to go. What if- what if by reclaiming my memories I revert back to that. What if I just end up hurting you in the end?”

 

“No!” The suddenness of Yugi’s yell made the spirit jump a bit, “No! You’re not evil! You never were! You saved the world! Evil people don’t go around saving other people, let alone the whole planet!”

 

“We don’t know what my motives were. Perhaps I had selfish reasons, something to gain. By saving the world I kept my power and gained even more. The whole planet would have bowed to my rule for such a feat,” Yami countered.

 

“Evil people are mean. You’re not mean,” Yugi insisted.

 

“Yes I am. You know that. You spent the first three months after setting me free being terrified of me. You were afraid of leaving the house, scared that the “Other You” would come out and hurt someone. Don’t pretend that never happened, I could see the nightmares you had,”

 

“You changed!” tears were beginning to form in Yugi’s eyes.

 

“No I didn’t!” Yami finally yelled, “I didn’t change at all! I’m still cruel! I’m still uncaring! I’m still mercyless! I still want to hurt people! I still want them dead! Nothing has changed! I haven’t changed…”

 

Tears fell freely from Yugi’s eyes now. His breath hiccupped with sobs. When Yami saw this terror flashed in his crimson eyes. What has he done?

 

“No, no, no. Please don’t cry,” Yami pulled yugi closer, completely disregarding the chessboard, and wiped his tears away, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled like that. I’m sorry. Please don’t-”

 

It was the Pharaoh’s turn to start tearing up, “I’ve hurt you again. I’ve made you cry. All I ever do is bring you trouble and pain. I’m sorry,”

 

Yami cupped the younger's face in his hand, “Yugi, please look at me,”

 

And Yugi did. With glassy, tear-filled eyes, he looked up at his other half, who looked down with hurt-filled affection, like this right now was the most precious of gifts and the most painful.

 

“I’m nothing but trouble for you, you can’t deny that. So many enemies, all mine, have come after you. It’d be best, safer, for us to part ways, for you to seal me back inside the puzzle. Then you’ll be safe from me. I couldn’t hurt you any more. You could be carefree like before,”

 

“Alone,” Yugi said, “You mean I can be alone, like before,”

 

“You won’t be alone. You’ll have Tea and Joey and Tristen and all the others. All your friends that love you so much. You don’t need some cranky old spirit hanging around. You have them,” Yami told him.

 

“But I didn’t. Not until you came. Their your friends too. They’ll miss you. I’ll miss you. You’re my best friend. I can’t do anything without you, Other Me. I don’t want to,”

 

“But if I stay I’ll only end up hurting you,” Yami reasoned, “If I regain my memories and if I were evil, I’ll attack you. I could seriously hurt you,”

 

“But you won’t,” Yugi told him, “Even if you’re right, even if you were evil, you’re not evil now. Evil people don’t care. You do. You care. About me, about our friends, about everyone.

 

You love our friends and they love you.  _ I  _ love you. You may get your memories back but you’ll also have memories of us, right? You’ll still care. You’ll still be you. My Yami. My best friend,”

 

Yugi had buried his face into Yami’s chest by this point, “I don’t care if you were the evilest person in the world. You’re my hero, my big brother, so please don’t leave me behind,”

 

Yami honestly didn’t know what to say so he just hugged his young charge close, shielding him from the darkness of the puzzle, the darkness within himself. He’ll protect Yugi as best he could. His brave, brave little Yugi. He deserved so much more. More than an angry old spirit could provide. But, for now, he’ll hold him close. Keep him warm, and safe, and hide him from the darkness even if he was darkness himself.

 

“Aibou,” Yami breathed, “Please, whatever happens to me, to us, know that I love you and that I’ll always be with you. Can you do that for me? Can you believe that?”

 

Yugi pulled away from the embrace slightly and looked up his darkness, “I’ll try,” he said rubbing his eyes.

 

“Good,” Yami smiled, brushing the bangs from Yugi’s face and kissing him on the forehead, “No more crying now. Be the brave, sunny Yugi I know you are. Show me all the light you have and let it drown out my darkness,”

 

Yugi smiled and hugged Yami again, who gladly accepted the embrace. The puzzles around their neck began to glow gold as it did when they switched or, in cases such as this, when there souls fused into one. They both looked down at the softly glowing pyramid and chuckled to themselves. The calming, reassuring warmth washed over them both. They both curled up on the bed, just enjoying each other's presence, game forgotten much like the world outside.

 

\---

 

It’s been eight months now since the Ceremonial Duel, since Yami- no- Atem had to leave. He got his memories back and Yugi had been right. He wasn’t evil, nor was he the puzzle’s intended prisoner. He was the prison guard. Protecting everyone even in death.

 

Yugi missed him, they all did, but no one near as much as him. His big brother was gone now, back with his friends and family where he belonged. It was hard to see him go and Yugi knew it was even harder for him to leave. But he had to. His job was done, he could rest now. He no longer had a place among the living. He never did.

 

Atem… he were never the darkness he thought he were. Turns out he were the greatest light of all. And as Yugi sat on a park bench, golden puzzle box by his side, as he reassemble his deck for the next tournament Kaiba was putting together, he thought about what Atem must be doing right now. Was he happy? Was he sad? Was he thinking about him as well right now? Whatever he was doing, wherever he was now, Yugi wished him the best. It was all he could do now.

 

He looked down at the cards in his hand. He was try to decide between Magician of Black Chaos and Black Luster Soldier. Both would be powerful allies but he couldn’t make up his mind. Either one could prove useful in a pinch.

 

The clouds then shifted and casted the sun’s light upon him. He looked up at the sky, a familiar warmth washing over him.

 

“Other Me?” he questioned. It felt just like the Pharaoh was hugging him now, like he was peeking over his shoulder like he used to.

 

Tears began to form in his eyes but he quickly wiped them away, “I miss you too,”

 

He looked back down at his cards and his gaze shifted to the soldier. He never noticed it before now, but his face and eyes had a strong resemblance to his Yami’s. It couldn’t be… But it did make a bit of sense. He was always courageous and brave, just like the soldier. It was decided then. He picked the card and held it his hand.

 

“We’ll win this one together, like we always do. Right Yami?” Yugi smiled and the sun smiled back.

 

And somewhere deep within the sands of Egypt a puzzle began to shine.


End file.
